Kilkenny made sure that any mistakes from Limerick would be punished and the shooting statistics back this up.

“What they’re [Limerick] going to look back at is that Kilkenny shot 70 per cent.

“They shot with 70 per cent efficiency and Limerick’s was down around 50 per cent - they had 15 wides.

“Shooting 70 per cent in an All-Ireland semi-final is great shooting.

They're going to be delighted with themselves, it’s a credit to them and I don’t know how they keep coming back,” Collins admitted.

He credits the return of Richie Hogan as having a “massive impact” and some key players performing at to their level, along with substitutes that can change the game.

“They’ve an excellent goalie in Eoin Murphy, Padraig Walsh is an unbelievable presence back there - he’s a great eye for the ball, distributor of the ball - TJ Reid is one of the most consistent hurlers I’ve ever seen.

“That’s probably the deciding factor in a Tipperary game as well,” Podge Collins predicted.

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